The Daily Read: Why is incompetent leadership rewarded?

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Brought to you by Liz Hilton Segel, chief client officer and managing partner, global industry practices, & Homayoun Hatami, managing partner, global client capabilities

When leaders are competent, we all benefit—yet incompetent leadership is everywhere. Why do we equate leadership potential with qualities like overconfidence and narcissism, enabling incompetent people to rise to the top? In a new episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, professor and author Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic speaks to McKinsey’s Bryan Hancock and Brooke Weddle about why so many incompetent men are in leadership positions and what we should be doing differently to choose stronger and more diverse candidates for leadership roles. Tune in and see what it takes to cultivate true, genuine leadership.

Six simple white vases arranged in a row, each holding a single-stemmed flower. Five of the flowers are vibrant red, but one dull-seeded dandelion rises slightly taller than the rest.

Why so many bad bosses still rise to the top

Narcissism. Overconfidence. Low EQ. Why do we persist in selecting for leadership traits that hamper organizational progress—and leave the right potential leaders in the wrong roles?

3 steps forward

Quote

Quote of the day

“With exciting prospects on the horizon, the dairy industry has an opportunity to seize the moment and develop a more sustainable approach to dairy production.”

—See what’s on the minds of US dairy executives in “What is top of mind for dairy executives in 2024?”

Chart of the day

A chart titled “Four archetypes have emerged for using generative AI in financial services, and the highly centralized approach is showing the best results.” Click to open the full article on McKinsey.com.

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Deep learning is a type of machine learning that is more capable, autonomous, and accurate than traditional machine learning.

3 types of artificial neural networks

What is machine learning?

Machine learning is a form of artificial intelligence that is able to learn without explicit programming by a human.

Capture the full potential

An image linking to the web page “What do employees really want out of generative AI?” on McKinsey.com.

What do employees really want out of generative AI?

As the use of generative AI (gen AI) becomes more common in the workplace, organizations are focused on how the technology can increase productivity levels.

Browse the collection

—Edited by Joyce Yoo, editor, New York

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